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Manuscripts and Rare Books

Find Manuscripts

The Special Collections and University Archives Department at the Richard J. Daley Library houses archival records of individuals and organizations that document the political, social and cultural history of Chicago, with a focus on the 20th and 21st centuries. The strengths of the manuscript collection include the history of the Hull-House settlement; A Century of Progress World's Fair; Chicago design history; Midwest women's history; and the history of African Americans in Chicago. Collections containing information about the history of medicine can be found in the Special Collections and University Archives Department at the Library of the Health Sciences-Chicago.

Rare Books at the Richard J. Daley Library

The primary focus of the Rare Books Section at the Richard J. Daley Library is the political, social, architectural and literary history of Chicago. In addition, the rare books section houses a collection of antiquarian maps from the Great Lakes Region, the Russian Empire and Western Europe. All rare books and maps can be searched in the library catalog.

Notable collections housed at the Daley Library include:

  • The Lawrence J. Gutter Collection of Chicagoana consists of more than 6,000 items including printed books, periodicals, maps, prints, and manuscripts relating to the history of Chicago. This collection, amassed by Mr. Gutter beginning in 1948 was acquired by the UIC Library in 1982 and is the foundation for the Daley Library's Rare Book Collection.
  • The H.D. Carberry Collection of Caribbean Studies contains almost 1,000 volumes of English language literature and non-fiction by Caribbean authors. The works in this collection are generally first editions, published in Britain during the second half of the twentieth century. Note also: Images of the Caribbean Diaspora: Book Jacket Art from the H.D. Carberry Collection of Caribbean Studies.
  • The Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe Collection contains approximately 600 volumes from the architect's personal library. It includes works about art and architecture, science, history, ethics and philosophy, primarily in English and German.
  • The Ernst Cassirer Collection consists of over 1,000 volumes from the German philosopher's personal library. It includes books about philosophy and literature, mostly in German.

Richard J. Daley Library Special Collections and University Archives

Reading Room hours

  • Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • Wednesday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month: 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • Sunday: closed
  • Holiday hours:
    • The reading room will close at 4:30 Wednesday, November 25th, and remain closed November 26th, 27th and 28th for the Thanksgiving holiday.
    • The reading room will close at 3:30 Friday, December 11th for a special event.

To make an appointment:

Rare Books at the Library of the Health Sciences-Chicago

At the Library of the Health Sciences-Chicago, the special strengths of the rare books section are in the areas of neurology, urology, dermatology, and the history of medicine. There are also collections of early anatomies and herbals, pharmacopoeias, and formularies.

Notable collections at LHS-Chicago include:

  • The Percival Bailey Collection consists of more than 600 rare and important works in neurology and psychiatry. A printed, annotated catalog, A Catalog of the Percival Bailey Collection of Neurology & Psychiatry, compiled by Alexander M. Cain, lists all publications in the collection.
  • The William C. Beck Collection consists of 52 rare books on anatomy, surgery and other aspects of medicine. William C. Beck, a surgeon and book collector, was the son of Carl Beck, a member of the faculty of the College of Physicians and Surgeons.
  • The Francis J. Gerty Collection includes a wide range of material on the history of medicine, concentrating on Chicago, Cook County, and Illinois medical history.
  • The Joseph H. Kiefer Collection contains rare books in urology, surgery, and general medicine published before the Twentieth century, focusing on the subjects of bladder stones, venereal diseases, and the history of uroscopy. The collection also includes works about human sexuality, medical history, medical biography, and art and humor in medicine. A printed, annotated catalog, The Joseph H. Kiefer Catalog of History of Urology of Medicine, compiled by Richard Y. Meier, lists all publications in the collection.
  • The Lloyd M. Nyhus Collection contains a wide range of material on the history of medicine. The collection focuses on surgery, particularly the fields of gastroenterology and herniology. Professor Nyhus was Head of the Department of Surgery at the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Medicine from 1967 until 1988. Four of his over 100 monographs received special honors: three editions of Mastery of Surgery, three editions of Surgery of the Stomach and Duodenum, five editions of Hernia, and nine editions of Manual of Surgical Therapeutics. These titles along with works by other prominent surgeons over the last century comprise the majority of the collection.
  • The Chicago Prefire (1871) Medical Imprints Collection contains health-related items published in Chicago before the Great Fire of 1871. A printed, annotated catalog, A Catalog of Prefire Chicago Imprints (1844-1871), compiled by Edward P. Rich, D.D.S., lists the publications in the collection.

Library of the Health Sciences-Chicago Special Collections and University Archives

Reading Room hours:

  • Monday – Friday: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • Saturday: closed
  • Sunday: closed
  • Holiday hours:
    • The reading room will be closed November 26th and 27th for the Thanksgiving holiday.
    • The reading room will close at 3:30 Friday, December 11th for a special event.

To make an appointment:

What Are Archival Materials and Manuscripts?

Archives are made up of records which have been accumulated over the course of an individual's or organization's lifetime. These records are often unique and unpublished. For example, the archives of an individual, referred to as manuscript collections or personal papers, may contain letters, papers, photographs, computer files, scrapbooks, financial records, diaries or any other kind of documentary materials created or collected by the individual--regardless of media or format. The archives of an organization (such as a corporation or non-profit agency), on the other hand, tend to contain different types of records, such as administrative files, business records, memos, official correspondence, meeting minutes, and so on. Archival records created by an individual or organization are normally kept together in a single collection. Archivists inventory and organize collections of archival records and describe them in finding aids. A finding aid assists users to discover and understand the context of materials in a collection.

Special Collections News

UIC Library News » Special Collections

Library News

  • Contemporary Architecture in Warsaw exhibit in Daley Library - The Daley Library is hosting the traveling exhibit Contemporary Architecture in Warsaw, opening November 6, 2009. Beginning in 1989, Warsaw experienced an intense period of design and construction of retail, commercial and residential buildings. Changing conditions within Poland and the availability of investment capital transformed the face of the capital city. The number of projects [...]
  • New Online Exhibit About the Cook County Forest Preserves - Learn the history of the Cook Country Forest Preserves and discover how preservationists ensured future generations access to some of Cook County’s greatest natural resources. Most of the material in this exhibit comes from the Forest Preserves District of Cook County records at the Special Collections department of the Daley Library, at the University of [...]
  • Daley Library open house on October 28 - The Daley Library is hosting an open house on Wednesday, October 28, 4 – 7 p.m. to showcase renovated areas, new equipment, special exhibits, SMART group study rooms, and expanded services. Visitors can view a Special Collections exhibit of early English books and a display that chronicles the history of the UIC mascot to our [...]